Local group plans trip to Cooperstown to see Oliva, Kaat be inducted
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Jul. 19—ROCHESTER — Joe Laughton Jr. of Rochester is organizing a "bucket list" trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to see the induction ceremony of former Minnesota Twins players Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat.
Oliva and Kaat will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 24, in Cooperstown, N.Y. Laughton Jr. is putting a group of up to eight people together to make the trek in a motorhome.
"Three members of the group, including myself, have stated that this trip is indeed a bucket list-type of thing in attending the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, as well as touring the historical baseball museum on the festival's grounds," Laughton Jr. said.
The group is slated to depart on Friday and will head to Detroit, where the Twins play the Tigers on Saturday and Sunday. Some of the group members will stay in Detroit while the motorhome will depart for New York. Laughton Jr. said he will fly from Detroit to New York to reach Cooperstown in plenty of time to stake out a spot for the group for the induction ceremony.
Oliva and Kaat are the fifth and sixth players to go into the Hall of Fame as Twins players, joining Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett and Bert Blyleven.
"I am grateful that Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat rightly and deservedly will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022," Laughton Jr. said. "I will be there for sure to cheer on my approval of their honors given."
On the way back to Rochester, Laughton Jr.'s group intends to stop in Milwaukee to watch the Twins play a pair of games against the Brewers on July 26-27.
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A year ago the Rochester Royals honored former players from their two Class B state championship teams. On Saturday, the Royals will hold a reunion for all of its former players.
The Royals won Class B amateur baseball state championships in 1991 and 2006 and the players had a good time when they had a reunion at a 2021 game.
"The guys liked it so much that (1991 player) Joe Warren asked me if we could keep doing it because they liked the response we got," said Jason Fink, who is on the Royals Board of Directors, runs the scoreboard and does the public address announcing at Royals home games.
The Royals will hold a reunion for all former players on Saturday during the team's 2 p.m. game against the Miesville Mudhens at Mayo Field. All former players are welcome to attend.
"It's going to be pretty low key," Fink said.
Jeff Milene was a player on the 1991 state championship team and owner of Rochester Batting Cages. His son, Logan, is a current player for the Royals and he hopes to attend the reunion after missing out a year ago. Warren's son, Sam, is also a current player for the Royals, who are 19-5 this season.
"A lot of those guys you haven't seen or talked to very much," Milene said. "It's always good to catch up, see who looks older and out of shape."
Guy N. Limbeck is a sports writer for the Post Bulletin. His Local Notebook appears each Tuesday. He can be reached at
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